Every time you have a birthday you get older by one year, so your chronological age is determined by the number of candles on your birthday cake. But your biological age can actually be a lot more or a lot less than this depending on how well you have been taking care of yourself over the years.
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to measure your biological age from an epigenetic perspective?
The myDNAge test does just that by analysing methylation patterns on more than 2,000 gene regions providing you with your epigenetic aging clock, a concept developed by Dr. Steve Horvath. It essentially measures the genetic expression of your DNA which is changeable as opposed to your DNA blueprint.
This test can be performed by using either blood or urine samples, but according to the myDNAge website, even though both samples provide very similar results there are some differences.
For the blood test, majority of the DNA is extracted from the white blood cells, meaning it measures the overall immunity of the body. On the other hand, the urine test measures the overall urinary tract health since the DNA extracted from the urine sample comes from the organs encompassing the urinary system.
The website also suggests that you can retest 6 – 12 months later to measure how changes in your diet and lifestyle may have influenced the rate you are ageing. This potentially provides a great way to measure actions and results in a relatively short space of time to help you age better and maybe undo some of the damage done in earlier years.
8 Things That Will Make You Older Than You Really Are
- Alcohol abuse
- Smoking
- Typical junk-food diet
- Nutritional deficiencies affecting methylation and genetic expression
- Chronic unresolved infections
- Chronic exposure to environmental toxins
- Chronic stress
- Excessive exercise or overtraining
In a nutshell, INFLAMMATION.
6 Things That Can Slow Down Biological Aging
- A diet high in polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables.
- Reducing exposure to environmental toxins by eating organic where possible and reducing chemical exposure in your environment.
- Addressing nutritional deficiencies where present.
- Stress management – having hobbies you enjoy, healthy relationships, and being happy 😊.
- Moderate exercise.
- Low-dose Growth Hormone and DHEA combined with metformin (Fahy, 2019).
From the study that showed the effects of low-dose growth hormone, DHEA and metformin on ageing we can infer that the following may benefit anti-ageing as well:
- Healthy sleep cycles or working with your natural circadian rhythms.
- Taking care of your adrenals.
- Maintaining health blood sugar.
